Slide(Boosted Hearts Book 3)(64)

Lucy moved back to the door. “I better get back.”

“Luce…”

“We have nothing to talk about, Adam.” Her gaze darted around the room, anywhere but at him. “I shouldn’t have hidden in your car, forced things between us. You were right. I am reckless. I don’t think things through, but that’s going to change, and I apologize for putting you in that position.” Her eyes finally lifted to his. “Let’s just…we’ll forget anything ever happened, okay?”

Forget? How the hell could he forget? He didn’t want to. What she asked was impossible.

Christ. He hated that she was beating herself up over this, that he’d made her feel that way. That she’d decided he was like everyone else, and saw her like everyone else did. Hugh and Joe loved her, would do anything for her, but they didn’t see Lucy. Not anymore. Not as the woman she was now. They still saw her as the crazy kid, the troublemaker. But Adam saw her, he always had—and then he’d gone and said those things to her in anger after she’d gotten hurt, for what? To shame her into being more careful? To give him some kind of peace of mind?

God, he missed the way she’d looked at him when they were away.

The way she looked at him now was like she didn’t know him at all. He’d done that, put that distance between them.

He opened his mouth, not sure what he was going to say, but he had to say something, anything, so she didn’t hate him anymore.

But she shook her head and turned away. “See you around, Adam.”

Then she walked out the door.





Chapter Eighteen





Lucy took her shoes off and tiptoed up the steps to the trailer door. Edna, her new neighbor, had ears like sonar. She was a hoot—the stuff that came out of her mouth was freaking hilarious—but she was not what you’d call a sweet old lady, and tonight, after a long shift at the bar, Lucy wasn’t in the mood for small talk.

She let herself in, turned on the light, shut the door, and leaned against it with a sigh of relief. Ever since her confrontation with Adam at the wedding yesterday, she’d felt off balance. She’d gone downstairs and he’d followed a short time later. He hadn’t approached or tried to talk to her again, but she’d felt his eyes on her. It had unnerved her, confused her, pissed her the hell off. He’d made it more than clear over the years he wasn’t interested in relationships, especially with her, despite the obvious sexual tension crackling between them. They’d agreed when they came home it would be over. Now they were home and he was making it goddamn hard to try and put it all behind her.

Did he even know he was doing it?

God, she needed to try and stop thinking about him, about the nights they’d spent together, and down by the lake.

She groaned. How was she going to do that with him staring at her like he had whenever they were in the same room?

She pushed away from the door and grabbed a Diet Coke from the fridge. After taking a sip, she headed to the bathroom, turned on the shower, and stripped off. Even when the guests had been standing out the front of Hugh and Shay’s house waving them off on their honeymoon, she’d felt Adam’s eyes burning into the side of her head, like he was trying to penetrate her damn skull. What was he playing at? What did he want from her? Did he even know himself?

Thankfully, no one seemed to notice. The last thing she needed was her brothers getting pissed with her for something else, or worse, falling out with Adam. At least with Hugh away for the next two weeks, she didn’t have to worry about him showing up all the time to give her another lecture. Her brother hadn’t been happy when Shay had offered Lucy her trailer. He had said no, that he was putting his foot down, and like hell was Lucy moving in, but somehow Shay had talked him around. She always could. Still, he’d made it very clear he didn’t like it.

The apartment above the garage had always been temporary, but Hugh saw her moving into the trailer as her taking another step farther from returning to school.

Her belly coiled tight. Disappointing her brother sucked, but what could she do? She quickly shoved those thoughts from her head. Leaving school, giving up on a career she’d desperately wanted, on top of everything else that had been happening, had been hard enough. Hugh and Joe’s disappointment, and now whatever was going on between her and Adam, made everything ten times worse.

Climbing under the hot spray, she washed off the night, more than ready to crawl into bed. She quickly washed her hair and got out, and had just finished drying off when someone banged at the door. Not softly, but with some strength and heat behind it.

She froze.